Stronger
by xxxShyxPrincessx13xxx
Summary: Those Nara men needed strong women to look after them... Yoshino knew that, so did Shikaku.


Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think.

Chapter 1

She knew even before the knock resounded through the living room. Intuition is what she would claim later if any one asked her. She wasn't expecting it. Wasn't waiting for the shinobi to come knocking, telling her one of her worst fears had finally come true. She remained strong in front of the faceless shinobi telling her that her precious Shikaku had been killed in battle. Her faced had remained stoic as she listened to the young chuunin tell her he had been a hero, protecting his comrades. This was a fact she already knew. Her Shikaku was a lazy good for nothing, but he was a brave shinobi who cared for his comrades. She slowly nodded her head, accepting her husband's head band has it was passed into her hands. With a bow of respect the faceless shinobi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the stunned woman in the door way. Slowly she swallowed, working mechanically. She took a step back, shut the front door and just stood there for a moment longer, her onyx colored eyes trained on the old head band her husband had received when he graduated from the academy. Inhaling a slow breath she turned on her heel, moving carefully through the clan home until she reached the door of her bedroom, the room she had shared with her husband, her husband who would never walk through that door again. A silent tear slipped from the corner of her eye, quickly followed by another until she was slowly sinking to her knees at the threshold of her bedroom, clutching the worn headband to her chest as if it were a lifeline.

She knew she needed to stop wallowing in her grief. She was the head of the clan until her son returned from war. She needed to remain strong, especially for the other wives, for they will be looking to her for strength soon. She needed to remain that strong, unwavering pillar, just as she had promised she would for her Shikaku. But for now, she would be selfish. For now she would take a moment for herself to grieve the man she lost, her good for nothing husband, her lazy best friend who would never walk into this house again.

Strength was a funny thing. Yoshino would admit that. Upon first looking at her, many people saw a strong, independent woman, a capable kunoichi. That was because none ever bothered to take a deeper look. No one ever bothered to try to see what lie underneath the surface. Yoshino knew she was a strong woman. She had been independent from a young age, relying on no one, not even her team mates. She knew she was a capable kunoichi, she was silent, swift, and efficient. She never questioned these traits she possessed, never bothered looking deeper for fear of seeing something she wouldn't like. Than she met Shikaku.

She smiled fondly at the memory of when she had first met the man who would eventually become her husband. For now, she would remember. She would hold these memories close to her heart as she waited for this awful war to end and for her son to come home safely. Tears continued to silently roll down her cheeks as she remembered that fateful day.

_She had just been promoted to chuunin, a proud moment no one could ruin as she raced through the forest, eager to return to her small apartment. It was small, in the bad part of the village, but it was hers. That was the only thing she cared about. It was something she had, something she would hold on to for as long as she possibly could. She was still a few miles away from the village still when she was ambushed by a few shinobi from Iwa. Yoshino was a proud kunoichi. She wouldn't scream for help. She wouldn't show these bastards any form of weakness. She would fight. She wouldn't allow them any information, anything at all about her village. Yoshino pulled a couple kunai from her pouch, easily falling into a defensive fighting stance, her onyx colored eyes darting between the three enemy shinobi. _

_Yoshino waited, every muscle in her body tense as she waited for one or all of them to move. However, something caught her attention. Their shadows. They were all combined. Quickly Yoshino went through the information of clans in her mind, recalling a certain Clan of Konoha that could possess shadows to render the attacker immobile. Before any of the enemy shinobi could realize what was happening to them, Yoshino struck, knocking all three of them unconscious. She jumped back, raising another kunai in front of her as her dark eyes searched for the shinobi that had assisted her. _

"_I have to say, we make a pretty decent team. I don't think those idiots knew exactly what hit them," the words were a lazy drawl coming from the shadows to her left. Yoshino swiveled on the balls of her feet, eyes narrowing to glare at the stranger before she lowered her stance. _

"_Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. So troublesome," he muttered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants as he moved lazily until he was only a few feet away from her. _

"_Thank you for your assistance," Yoshino spoke in a cold voice, a stoic mask sliding over her face. The shadow user quirked an eyebrow, slowly appraising the kunoichi before him. She wasn't very old, maybe fifteen. She was taller than other girls, only a few inches shorter than him, and she was thin. However he knew that was because she stayed in shape, constantly training. She possessed powerful muscles under that porcelain skin. _

"_You're welcome. What's your name?" he questioned, curiosity lacing his tone as he finished his appraisal of the young kunoichi. Her eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch, most likely analyzing his motive. _

"_It's Yoshino," she answered before turning on her heel, preparing to return to the trees so she could race back to the village she called home. _

"_I'm Nara Shikaku. Anytime you need saving, miss Yoshino, I'll be sure to be there," Shikaku called, watching as she raced through the tree tops. However he knew he would be seeing more of her, he would make sure of it. That kunoichi was going to be his wife, he knew it. A lazy smirk stretched across his lips as he began his lazy stroll back to the village. He was certain he could convince Asuma to play a game of shogi before his mother came looking for him, the troublesome woman. _

If only Yoshino had known his thoughts back then. However she doubted she would have been able to change his mind. Once a Nara man decided what he wanted, he would ensure he reached that outcome no matter what. She shook her head as she pulled herself up off the floor and dragged herself onto the bed she would no longer be sharing with her husband. With a mournful sigh she clutched the head band tighter to her chest before curling into a ball on top of the blankets and allowing the sweet darkness to consume her. Tomorrow she would be strong like she promised Shikaku. Tomorrow she would begin taking care of everything she promised him she would. Tomorrow… Tomorrow she would be stronger. But for now, in the dark of her bedroom, she would be weak, just like she used to be whenever he was concerned.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is going to be a Shika/Tema fic with a little bit of Yoshino and Shikaku because I have respect for the woman who raised a genius and his dad was just so cool. Let me know what you guys think of this fic.


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